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COMBINEDv EASY, ROGKING, AND INVALID CHAIR. No. 4855435. Patented Nov. 1, 1892.

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l H. W. STERN. COMBINED EASY, ROGKING, AND INVALID CHAIR.

No. 485,435. Patented Nov. 1, 1892.

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UNiTnn STATES PATENT Ormjcn.

HARRIS WOLF STERN, OF LA SALLE, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED EASY, ROCKING, AND INVALID CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 485,435, dated November 1, 1892.

Application tiled March l2, 1892 Serial No. 424,652. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRIS WOLF STERN, of La Salle, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Combined Easy, Rocking, and Invalid Chair, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in chairs, and has for its object to provide a chair so constructed that it may be utilized as a reclining-chair, a rocking-chair, or a chair for use in nursing the sick, as occasion may demand.

A further object of the invention is to construct the chair in a simple,durable, and economic manner and to provide a means Whereby the foot-rest may be carried up in alignment with the seat of the chair, or whereby the said foot-rest may be placed at angles but a slight distance above the ioor.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through the chair, illustrating it in position for use as an ordinary chair, the section being taken, practically, on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig.2 is a plan view of the chair, the seat being partially broken away. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the chair, illustrating it in position for use as a couch, and in said figure a second position of the foot-rest is illustrated in dotted lines; and Fig. 4. is a rear elevation of the chair, the back being in an upright position.

The base of the chair consists of a rockerplatform A, constructed, as usual, of two opposing parallel sides 10 and a cross-bar 11, connecting the said sides. In this instance but one Xed cross-bar is employed and that is located at the rear of the platform; but the sides are further connected through the medium of a horizontal partition 12,located near the front and somelittle distance above the lower edge, as shown in Figs. l and 2, this platform being provided with an Opening of any description, or a socket adapted to receive and maintain in vertical position a commode 13. In the inner face of each side piece of the platform beneath the partition 12 a hori- 55 zontal slideway 14 is produced, the said slideway being formed in any suitable or approved manner, and they are of such length that they extend from a point near the rear of the platform, terminating near the front edge 6o thereof, the latter point being indicated by the reference-letter d. v A skeleton frame B is adapted to have horizontal movement in the slideways 14 of the chair-platform. This frame comprisesa rear bar 15, to the ends of which side bars 16 are pivotaly attached, the said side bars being fi provided at or near the central portion of their upper edges with recesses 17, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. Land in positivelines in 7o Fig. 2. A foot-rest 18 is pivotally secured betweenk the outer ends of the side bars 16 of the sliding frame, and this foot-rest may be of any suitable or approved construction and is made of .such size that it is capableof loe- 7 5 ing folded between the side pieces of the sliding frame B. In thelower face of the foot-rest two legs 19 are pivotally secured, the said legs when not in use being adapted to fold up in a recess provided for them, as 8o shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The outer face lof the foot-rest may be and preferably is up- Y l1olstered,and upon each end, upon the under face, stop plates or pins 19a are attached.

When the foot-restis not in use, it is carried inward and downward, with the upholstered side underneath, between the side members of the skeleton frame B, and is held in that position by the stop plates or pins 19, entering the recesses 17 of the sliding frame. 9o The sliding frame may then be carried backward Within the platform until the foot-rest is concealed from view, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the legs being folded upon the upper portion of the foot-rest when in its storage v position. I y Y v The seat-frame O consists of two side pieces 20, the under faces of which are rocking faces and are adapted to rest upon the upper edges of the. side pieces of the platform 10. The roo seat-frame is much deeper than the platform upon which it is adapted to rest, and the side pieces of the frame are connectedby a top board 21, (shown bestv in Fig. 1,) whichboard is located at the front portion of the frame and extends from the front edge a slight distance beyond its center. This board is provided with an opening 22, so placed that when the commode 13 is in position upon the partition l2 said commode 1l will be underneath the opening 22. 4

The top board of the scat-frame is covered by a cushion or the seat proper 23. This cushion is practically the same length as the depthor length of the seat-frame and therefore extends beyond the rear edge of the top board 2l, and the cushion or seat 23 has a hinge connection 24 with the rear edge of the top board, and the width of the cushion is such that it lits between the side pieces of the seat-frame. Therefore the rear end of the seat may be tilted downward to carry the forward portion upward and expose the opening 22 in the seat-frame when desired.

It will be observed that as the seat 23 is hinged between its fron-t and rear edges it is much easier to swing up, and not only so, but it will when thus swung up be close enough to the invalids back to aiford a support therefor, and, moreover, it permits of the seat-opening being made close to the front of the seatframe.

The seat may be maintained in its normal or horizontal position through the medium of latches 25, pivoted upon its under face at the back and entering keepers 26 in the seatframe, the said keepers usually consisting of channels formed in the inner face of the side pieces of the frame, as is shown in Figs. l and 4. The seat-frame is maintained in position upon the platform l0 by springs 27. These springs may be of any suitable or approved construction and may be attached in the same manner as that by which springs are usually applied to platform-rockers.

It will be observed that the seat-frame may be manipulated in like manner as the seatframe of any platform-rocker; but if it is de sired to have a stationary or ordinary chair-- that is, not a rocker-the seat-frame may be firmly and rigidly secured to the platform in a very simple manner. The preferred means of accomplishing this result consists in locating upon the outer face of the platform a setscrew 28, as shown in Fig. 3, and connecting with the seat-frame a hook 29, adapted to engage with the set-screw, the hook being in its turn connected with the seat-frame by a setscrew, so that when the hook is brought in engagement with the lower set-screw, which acts inthe capacity of a keeper, this set-screw maybe tightened up upon the hook, thus holding it in position, and the lower screw is assisted in performing this function by tightening the upper set-screw also, which serves as a pivot for the hook.

The back D is preferably made with a recess 30 in its rear face. The back may be of any suitable formation, and the side pieces thereof are carried downward and are pivoted in any suitable or approved manner to the rear portion of the seat-frame. Near the forward portion of the seat-frame at each snide arms 31 are pivoted, the said arms being adapted to maintain either a vertical or a d1- agonal position with respect to the seat-frame and comprise one member of the arms of the chair, the arms being completed by the addition of upper horizontal sections 32, and these sections at their forward ends have a hinge connection 33 with the upper ends of the lower sections of the arms, the pivotal or hinge attachment being made, preferably, at the upper forward corner of the lower members'. The horizontal members 32 of the arms have a hinged and adjustable connection between the side pieces of the back D. This adjustment and hinged connection are effected by securing to the sides of the back plates 34, one being located at each side of the back, and a portion of these plates 1s curved forwardly and downwardly and is provided with a segmental slot 35. A second plate 36 is attached to the rear end of each horizontal member 32 of the chair-arms, and this plate carries a set-screw 37, adapted to extend through the slots 35 of the plates 34, and the two plates 34 and 36 are pivotally connected at their lower abutting ends, lugs 3S being provided at that point to facilitate the connection, and the pivot-pin is passed through these lugs, as is best shown in Fig. 3.

The back is provided with a recess 30, containing a pivoted support 39 40, retained therein by latches 41.

It will be observed that this chair is an exceedingly-useful piece of furniture and that it may be readily adapted for use as an ordinary chair, a rocker the back of which may be given any desired inclination, an easychair or couch, or an invalid-chair for the comfort of the sick, as occasion may demand. Vhen the chair is in use as a rocker or as an easy-chair, the foot-rest may be used, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, in which it will be observed that the frame B in the platform is drawn outward, the foot-rest folded out from the frame to an upwardly-extending or angular position, aud the legs of the foot-rest are then carried to an engagement With the floor. When, however, the chair is to be used as a couch, the frame is carried out to its full extent, the side pieces of the frame are carried upward, as shown in positive lines, Fig. 3, and the foot-rest is supported in the horizontal position by the legs 19, which in this event are almost perpendicular, and the footrest is thus supported almost on aline or level with the top of the seat. Any desired number of brace-bars may be used in the construction of the framework and a single spring may be employed in connection with the chair and rocker-platform instead of two, as illustrated.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- l. The combination, with a platform-rocker,

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of a sliding frame B, mounted in the platformY to swing vertically at its outer end when slid outward, a rest 18, pivoted at its inner end to the outer end of said frame, latches to secure the rest when folded on the said frame, and folding legs 19, pivoted to the forward end of the rest and adapted at their lower ends v.to rest on the floor, substantially as set forth.

2. A platform-rocker having a commodesupport l2 Within its platform or base and a top board 21 on the seat-frame and having an 

